Author's Note-

Wow, we're at chapter thirty! I never thought this story would get this far. :D It was going to be a much shorter piece when I first started it. Hope you're all still enjoying it, and thank you for the reviews. They make my day when I read them. :)

Anyway, I'll shut up and let you get on reading. ;) :)

Lou

Chapter Thirty

Pain woke him from a sleep so deep it was like drowning. He lay in the darkness for a moment, caching his breath. The last traces of some strange dream trickled slowly from his mind. It left him feeling shaken, though he couldn't say why. Not your usual nightmare then, eh? He thought mockingly. His muscles felt stiff and achy, from laying still for too long. He stretched carefully, listening to his bones crack and pop.

The clouds over the moon parted, spilling thin silver light into the room. It washed over his skin, turning it ghostly pale and let him see the dark patches on his bandages he knew was blood. He flexed his injured arm and winced at the sharp pain.

Sleep tugged at him insistently. The drugs the doctor had prescribed knocked him out, leaving him feeling groggy and weak for much of the day. With a sigh, he shifted a little, finding a more comfortable position. His eyes drifted closed as he gave in to the nagging exhaustion.

Seconds or hours later, a small, out of place noise brought him awake in an instant, eyes darting around the room. The silver moonlight outlined the silhouette of a man by the window. Raylan squinted at the figure, breath coming short and quick in his chest when he spotted the gun. Light reflected on the barrel.

"So you're awake," the man said without turning. "Don't bother to call for help. The guard outside your door is dead. I'll kill anyone who comes into this room. Do you understand me?"

Eyes wide, Raylan nodded. "I do."

The wind changed direction, rattling the glass in the window frames. It moaned, low and long as it blew past the building. Somewhere, far away in the building, a woman screamed. The noise made him shudder.

"Not going to ask me who I am?" The man at the window asked. His shoulders moved as he twisted something in his hands.

Carefully, the injured man sat up in bed, throwing the sheets off his feet. The sudden cold made him shiver.

"I'd ask if I thought you'd answer me," Raylan said dryly.

"Ask anyway." He shrugged. "You never know. I might just answer."

Raylan lifted an eyebrow. "Who are ya?"

The man laughed, splaying a gloved hand against the windowpane. "Someone who knows a lot more about you than you'll ever know about me."

The bed creaked as Raylan swung his legs over the edge of it. His bare feet touched the cold floor. It made him flinch.

"Stop moving about so much." The man clicked the safety off his gun. "You're making me very nervous. I don't think you want to do that."

Raylan froze. "I guess I don't."

The man turned away from the window, keeping the gun aimed at the floor. "I'm here because you are causing too much trouble for my employer. You need to let this case drop or I'll kill you."

Raylan bit the inside of his lip. "I'm not working the case."

The man lashed out with sudden speed, driving his fist into Raylan's injured shoulder.

The world went white. Raylan choked on a breath, nausea rolling in his gut from the pain. It brought tears to his eyes. Beads of perspiration ran down his face as he clenched his good hand in the sheet. Blood welled under the bandages, dripping from the wound in a slow, viscous path.

The man watched dispassionately. "Breathe. It'll help."

Raylan glared at him, pain still too biting for him to speak. He gritted his teeth, forcing a breath past the agony that seemed to be spreading all over his body.

"My boss is a very busy man, Mr Givens, as rich men are apt to be. You are spoiling his business by asking all of these tiresome questions."

The red haze faded from his vision. Raylan sucked in a clean breath. "Tell your boss to stop running a prostitution racket and we'll think about it."

The man laughed darkly. "You think that is all this is about? Oh, no. My boss has his fingers in many more pies." He walked over to the bed, crouching in front of Raylan. "Including one you are very familiar with. Would you like to guess what that is?"

Raylan tilted his head, trying to make out the man's features. The light came from behind him, throwing his face into shadow. "I'd like you just to drop all of these bullshit games and tell me what the hell you want."

"I've told you what I want." He stood, leaning close to whisper in Raylan's ear. "I want you to stop disturbing my boss' business."

"I think it's a little late to try to scare me off," Raylan muttered.

"We have Hope," the strange man said. "Back off this or we'll kill her."

Ice chilled Raylan's veins at the words. "It's not my call to make."

"Well, then, I hope you weren't too fond of her." The man laughed darkly and pulled a syringe from his pocket.

Raylan moved, backing away. The man shook a finger at him, raising the gun so it was pointed directly at Raylan's heart. "Don't worry. It won't harm you. It's just my special blend." He pulled the cap off with his teeth and injected the contents into Raylan's IV line.

It robbed the taller man of breath. He staggered backwards, crashing into the wall. "What did you do to me?" he panted, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

The strange man leaned close to him, letting the light wash over his face. Raylan gasped with surprise. The man smiled and patted his shoulder. "There, now. Don't worry. It'll all be over soon."

He walked away, leaving Raylan sitting on the floor, fighting for every breath.